


Talon of the Empire - Operation Stillwater

by Edgeford



Series: Talon of the Empire [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends: X-Wing Series - Aaron Allston & Michael Stackpole
Genre: Action/Adventure, Canon Compliant, Gen, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-18 12:09:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29609202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Edgeford/pseuds/Edgeford
Summary: With the recent loss of Coruscant Imperial forces under Ysanne Isard are planning their next move. As the Director of Imperial intelligence readies herself, she must secure what remains of her territory against further Rebel attacks. Overstretched and desperate Operation Stillwater is put into effect to stall the anticipated attack. A hastily cobbled together collection of ships will be sent deep behind enemy lines to frustrate the New Republic’s plans. One such craft is to be commanded by Talon Rake, freshly promoted after his actions aboard the crashed ship, the Resolve, and given his own command. Now Talon must survive the trials of an understrength battle group fighting deep inside the territory of an enemy who grows stronger every day. But the situation devolves far more than he could ever have anticipated.(An upload of a historic story originally on another site)
Series: Talon of the Empire [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2080509





	Talon of the Empire - Operation Stillwater

There is nothing more desolate in all the galaxy than dead space. That place between places, devoid of so much as a single speck of dust. Even a black hole is more comprehensible than those vast stretches of utter nothing. But hiding in one of these infinite patches of nowhere, was a cluster of circling star destroyers, uniform and impersonal in Imperial grey and their meticulously standardised designs. Aboard one of these craft was Talon Rake, a pale, thin faced man who was staring down his cruel beak of a nose. Looking not at any object, but into the recent past. Mere days ago, he had been serving aboard the Resolve, a venerable old ship from the clone wars, hopelessly out classed by the younger, stronger and faster vessels that made up the majority of both the Imperial fleet and the traitorous rebels, who styled themselves as a New Republic. He had begun that tour of duty as a fresh faced junior officer. Crisis, death and disability had seen him end it as the commanding officer of a desperate band of survivors in the broken hull of a crashed ship. Holding out against both the icy grasp of that world and the rebel assaults had been a desperate affair. Victory was paid for in lives, both those lost and those changed by wounds that even bacta could not heal. The price had been steep and ultimately, when rescue came, he was forced to abandon ship. Vaporising the Resolve in a broiling ball of super critical core matter, to ensure nothing was left for the enemy. At least he had observed the old traditions, and ensured his was the last boot off of the ship. 

But the loss of the Resolve, and far too many of her hands, still sat heavily with Talon. He was sure that every surviving crewman felt much the same. But they were also all just grateful to be alive. By rights their fates should have been sealed the moment the Resolve started plummeting towards the planet below. The fact that so many of them were still able to draw breath was a testament to the skill, bravery and determination of each and every soul aboard that ship. Particularly the ones that did not live to be rescued. 

But despite the grim events of the past few days, his mood had been substantially lifted by news received just hours ago. A message from Admiralty stated that, for bravery and skill in command well above and beyond that expected of an officer of his grade, he was being promoted to the rank of Commander. It was most certainly unexpected, but most certainly welcome. Talon had thought his promotion to Lieutenant Commander would simply be confirmed and that the matter would just be left there. But to be further promoted, and better still told he would soon have a ship of his own, was beyond any of his expectations or even hopes! In truth he had profound doubts that he had truly earned the title, but he was not going to turn an opportunity like this down.

To add an even brighter shine to this news, Talon had heard that his old mentor and true master of the Resolve before he had been incapacitated by his wounds, Commander Aeron, was now being made up into a captain. Unlike his own elevation Talon had no reservations about this appointment. It was well deserved and long overdue. Better yet it meant that Aeron was not going to be invalided out of the service, as Talon had feared. So, it was with a light and quick step that Talon moved down the corridors of the star destroyer that had rescued them, to the small cabin that had been set aside for Aeron. The man had asked for a meeting with the young commander, Talon wondered just what the veteran had in mind. A few last words of advice? Encouragement? A sombre remembrance of events past? There was only one way to find out. 

The door slid open after Talon’s firm knock. The commander mentally braced himself for what he was anticipating to be a horrific sight. Aeron had not been in a good way when Talon last saw him, about to go into emergency surgery. His face had been badly damaged, an arm was all but lost and who knew how many other injuries this man had sustained? What confronted Talon was far from the mass of scars, wounds and barely recognisable flesh that he had feared. Instead, the man seemed to still be in possession of both of his legs, though one was encased in a lattice of scaffold like braces and clamps, thankfully a temporary measure. One arm was entirely missing, ending now in a stump, ripped away at the very top, the sleeve of Aeron's uniform had been folded back and pinned up by his shoulder. Again, Talon knew this would not last forever and that the remains of his mentor's arm were likely simply being prepared for further surgery to attach a mechanical prosthetic. But none the less, it was not an easy sight. 

The face was what Talon had been most worried about. It is a sad truth that no matter how unfair it might be, people had a reflexive aversion to, and discomfort around, people with facial disfigurements and to his regret Talon was no different. He had been coaching himself to try and keep the awkwardness to a minimum, but thankfully such preparation was unnecessary. The surgeons had done a damn fine job in repairing Captain Aeron. A long and fresh scar ran from the tip of his chin right along the jawline on the left side of his face, where new bone had to be constructed almost from scratch. His nose was encased in bandages, again where a new one would have had to have been fabricated, and one eye was covered by a patch. Talon recalled that the eye had been badly damaged, and he thought it likely lost entirely. But perhaps the patch was simply giving the eye the darkness and time it needed to rest and heal. Certainly, the tufts of antiseptic padding poking out from behind the black fabric hinted at as much. Talon earnestly hoped this was the case. A half blind captain was of significantly reduced use, and despite all the assurances about medical advancements, Talon did not quite trust mechanical replacements to be up to the standards of the real thing. Added to this a great scar ran diagonally across his face and whilst it had not been entirely concealed by the surgeons, it had been made neat, and trim.

Finally, the man's head had been shaved entirely bald, a fact largely obscured by the captain wearing his hat even in an informal situation. A departure from protocol perhaps, but Talon was of a mind to cut the man a great deal of slack, and would not judge him for just a touch of vanity in the name of dignity. Again, the chances were his hair would grow back and the surgeons had simply shaved him to make their job easier. All in all, he looked surprisingly normal and well on the road to recovery. Talon made a mental note to thank the surgeons for their hard work when he got the time.

"Come in Mr Rake." Called Captain Aeron welcomingly. "Sit down." He invited, gesturing with his one remaining arm to a slightly uncomfortable looking standard issue Imperial chair. Talon settled down without complaint whilst his old mentor grabbed a bottle of Corellian brandy and poured each of them a glass, the occasion most certainly called for a drink, it was a day of both celebration and commiseration. "To the Resolve." Toasted the Commander, raising his glass slightly into the air.

"The Resolve." Echoed Talon, with the same slightly heavy and sombre tones the captain had used. As good and as happy as the news of both of their promotions was, the loss of the ship and several crewmen was still a weighty thing. After taking a brief moment to sip their drinks and pause for a few seconds of quiet reflection the Captain broke the silence.

A careful observer might have noted that there was a subtle but noticeable change in the air, a slight shift in how these two men were interacting with one another. It showed in the way they sat, the way they looked at one another now and spoke with a slightly greater degree of openness. These men were no longer talking as master and student, but rather as equals, as the soon to be commanders of two ships discussing affairs on equal terms. The newly appointed Captain was still senior to Talon, and Talon showed the appropriate deference. But it was not as rigid or strictly observed as before. A degree of informality, even familiarity came easily now that the captain no longer commanded Talon. 

"I understand they have made you a full commander now. Congratulations." It was obvious that Captain Aeron was happy for Talon, but there was an odd undertone to his voice, a subtle mixture of doubt and caution, like a man who smelled a trap. "It's a very rapid promotion. Stunningly rapid. Your service has been commendable, there is no doubt about that. But I would expect you to have a few more years under your belt and a few more wrinkles on your forehead before you reached this grade." Aeron may have given an amused snort at his mention of wrinkles, but it scarcely took the edge off of his obvious concern. 

"Humm." Said Talon in sombre reflection, staring into his glass. "Maybe he was right about one thing." He was talking more to himself than anyone else but the Captain was forced to ask.

"Who?" In enquiring and mildly surprised tones.

"Oh. One of the prisoners we took planet side." Explained Talon casually, dismissing the man through an idle wave of his hand. "He said the Empire was over promoting youths to fill the gaps. He hinted at a reduction in quality. Said it was desperate times." Talon had privately hoped that Aeron would just dismiss the Rebel's analysis as easily as Talon pretended to. Yet deep down Talon knew that was not the case and his suspicions were soon proven correct.

"He was right." Said the Captain flatly. "The quality is still high however." He continued, in a slightly lighter and more encouraging tone. "It's a testament to the skill of your generation that you are somehow managing to do the job. But it's symptomatic of the wider problem. We certainly cannot keep this up forever." But then, refocusing the issue he added. "But that's not what I'm worried about. This rapid promotion goes well beyond the mere necessity of promoting youth."

"How do you mean?" Asked Talon, curiously and genuinely slightly confused. Aside from age and experience Talon really did not see any other reason to be worried.

"This strikes me as something far more sinister." Stated Aeron slowly, in tones laced with suspicion and just a touch of ennui. Walking over to the cabin's view port he gestured at the fleet squatting outside, ships blinking in and out of hyperspace as they went about their business, squadrons of menacing grey star destroyers drifting idly through space. But what he was pointing to was the vast behemoth that squatted at the centre of it all, slowly coming into view as the vessel which they were aboard arced around the edge of the fleet.

"That is what worries me." Said the captain, not taking his eyes off of the monolithic amalgamation of titanium and alusteel. "Can you name that ship Mr Rake?" The vessel was vast, dwarfing all of the star destroyers around it, making them look like mere pebbles. So much so that Talon did not even have to crane his neck in his seat to see what the captain was gesturing to. Her long and graceful shape, merged with sharp edges and savage corners, granted her a strange and deadly beauty. It was an Executor class dreadnaught and only one Executor flew in this part of space.

"It's the Lusankya sir." She was certainly a grand sight, able to utterly dominate the skies in which she flew. Vessels like that gave Talon hope that victory might still be in reach. But where Talon saw inspiration, the might of the Empire made manifest and a chance that this war might still be won, Captain Aeron instead saw something that made his broken face twist in concern and doubt. The gesture made him wince as it tugged at his still healing wounds, but nothing could conceal that look for worry.

"And who is aboard her?" Talon could have played dumb and said something about the countless thousands that crewed that ship, or perhaps named her technical captain. But that would have been quite unnecessary and more than a little childish. Instead, he just gave the obvious answer.

"Director Isard"

"Indeed." Confirmed the captain, turning slowly on Talon and locking eyes with him, driving home the seriousness of the point. Talon had never seen him like this. Even when the man had been explaining vital lessons in tactics and command, he had never worn this expression. He had always looked calm and even, serious but never overbearing. Now he looked almost angry. His ire was not directed at Talon, the man had no grounds for that. But the intensity with which he wanted to drive home this lesson was obvious and it was clear the topic caused him some degree of agitation. "And not just her. But her web of intelligence agents. That is what worries me Talon. I think you have caught someone's eye. I think you are someone's new project or pet." To have caught the eye of someone aboard the flagship was usually high praise, but from Aeron It was a warning, a stern warning. One so strong it momentarily made Talon a little uncertain of his ground, forcing the young officer into silence for a few moments before he dared to say.

"You don't seriously mean to suggest..." An air of incredulity obvious in his tone. But the captain cut him off, knowing the conclusion Talon had leapt to.

"Don't flatter yourself Mr Rake." He stated bluntly, but without any real hostility. "You are still too junior to have caught the Director's eye. One heroic action won't be enough for her." Then adding after a sigh of slight relief. "Count your blessings that you are not yet that important." But that tone of consolation vanished almost as swiftly as it had arrived, his look of resigned worry deepening. "But it will be one of her underlings and that is almost as bad."

"These people are Imperial officers, just like you and me." Retorted Talon, a slight twinge of disapproval in his tone. "Director Isard is our properly appointed superior, sitting at the top of the constitutional line of succession. You don't seem to be speaking of her like that."

The captain regarded Talon in silence for a long while, not entirely sure how to deal with this. He had not been expecting Talon to launch into a defence of the Director. He knew the freshly appointed commander was neither stupid nor isolated, he had to have heard the rumours, and they were far too numerous to outright ignore or dismiss as lies and hearsay. Furthermore, the recent retreat from Coruscant had been a humiliation, speaking of a dangerously incompetent leader, and one that was shrouded in dark whispers of atrocities. But he did not want to confront Talon on the idea that the Director had reached her position illegitimately, even though he believed it to be true. That had the capacity to backfire spectacularly and though the captain had swept the room for bugs you could never be too sure. Instead, he focused on the real reason why he was concerned, and why he was warning Talon.

"If you get sucked into her world you won't last long." He cautioned quietly, softly, almost sadly. It certainly was a sorry state of affairs. The man seemed to deflate a little, both in an effort to ease the tension, but also in a genuine display of regret at the way things were. "Imperial Intelligence chews up and spits out warfare officers like us as if we were a bad stake. You will be nothing but a pawn to be sacrificed." What came next shocked Aeron, sending a momentary flash of startlement through his one good eye.

"That is no different to what we are asked to do as warfare officers." Talon spoke as if this were a simple matter of fact, but his words carried a slight snap as well. It was clear the Talon not only disagreed with his mentor on this point, but that he did so quite vehemently based on fundamental principles. "We all signed on knowing we might be asked to die. An admiral might order me to perform a rear guard action in a doomed engagement. I would almost certainly die should the battle be going too poorly. But I would ensure the survival of the rest of the fleet! It is a good and necessary sacrifice that my superiors are entitled to demand of me! An order to die from an intelligence officer is no different." Talon sounded almost indignant as he said this, as if it were all a simple matter of obligation and duty. The gleam in his eye betrayed that strange fire that hid behind his mucky blue eyes, something that could not be explained by simple biology. Whilst his face was set firm and true, appearing less like a man, and more like a propaganda poster. The captain meanwhile, looked on in a combination of shock, frustration and muted horror.

It took Aeron a long time to muster a response, so utterly flat footed was he by this entirely unpredicted resistance on, what he viewed, as a manifestly absurd ground. When he did eventually speak, he did so in a slow and measured way, carefully choosing his words. 

"When an admiral asks you to die, when a man like me asks it of you. It is not asked lightly. The loss of our own is a heavy thing and we always strive to make sure the sacrifice is worth it.” But soon the man began to pick up speed as the weight of his own opinions and the conviction of his beliefs about Imperial Intelligence overwhelmed his moderation. “To them though you are nothing. If you don't play their cloak and dagger game you are about as valuable as an old heat sync, and disposed of just as readily. You will be destroyed for the most petty of reasons, for the most selfish of reasons. They will sacrifice you for pure politics, for their own advancement!" Despite the captains rising tone and obvious sincerity Talon remained unconvinced. His reply was said with all of the certainty of a man who believed in the myth of the Empire, a myth he strove to uphold everyday.

"These are Imperial officers, raised in a tradition of service. Every organisation has its bad apples. But I find it impossible to suggest that such behaviour is rampant across the whole organisation!" By now Captain Aeron was starting to become scared for Talon, rather than agitated or angry at Imperial Intelligence. Talon was a fine officer, and the captain did not want to see him cast into the abyss for pointless infighting. This concern drove him to test the boundaries of restraint that were expected between officers, and almost plead with the commander. 

"Imperial intelligence is one huge bad apple. Any other branch of the service is made of good stalwart men. But the Director has twisted the Intelligence wing into a parody of its former self. It was always a little badly behaved, there was always some double dealing. But her tenure as Director has been a disaster!” The look on his face bordered on the desperate, his remaining eye wide and almost wild, eyebrows raised. The stiff upper lip of the officer class done away with in an effort to get through to the commander. “Intelligence went from a body aimed at battling the Rebellion into a body at war with itself, with their agents all desperately scrambling for power and all in the service of a despot, and directed to keep her in control as their primary goal!"

"Corruption on such a scale beggars belief sir!" The force of Talon's disbelief and incredulity showed itself in his raised voice and a shocked, almost appalled, expression. But all of this was still done without hostility. Talon did not have a bad word to say about Aeron and he knew, that no matter what the result of this conversation, they would still be trusted colleagues. Talon would not have dared been so open were it otherwise. "Such a state of affairs could not exist without someone intervening to take action! Furthermore, the Emperor would not have appointed as his head of Intelligence someone as dangerously incompetent as you suggest!"

With a sigh the captain admitted. "I don't know her personally. I have only had a few meetings with her, and I kept my head down in those. By all accounts she was not always like this." He sighed again, pausing for a moment to take a sip of brandy whilst he gathered his thoughts. He was in no hurry, leaning back in his chair as he considered carefully how to continue. When he spoke again he was calm once more, taking the heat out of a conversation that threatened to devolve into a fight. "She was always cold, always callus, always hungry from what I hear. But I agree with what I know you are about to say. People like that are needed in the intelligence branch. It would be naive to think the Empire does not require such men and women." This was an important point, even the captain conceded that the ruthless and cunning were an absolute necessity when battling a force like the Rebellion. But something had gone awry. "She used to be focused on her intelligence role and on the Rebels." He continued, looking off into the middle distance. "But after Endor, after the Emperor died something changed." He sounded a little unsure of things. He could not quite pin the problem down. He doubted anyone understood Isard well enough to do that. Something had certainly altered within the Director, but he had a hard time defining it. "I'm not sure what and I'm working largely on rumour and the reports of trusted colleagues. But something changed." He paused yet again for another moment of reflection, trying to find the words as he gently swirled his drink in his one remaining hand. "She started getting rash and careless, she started making bad decisions, never thinking things through, getting tunnel visioned on certain issues, obsessively fixated even. She started interfering in warfare decisions and it was then that the obsession with position began. It became obvious that she had a fixation with controlling everything, all elements of the Empire, not just the intelligence branch. Even though she is entirely unqualified. Worse still she became utterly unaware of her limits. A good leader knows when to delegate work beyond their expertise. But she began overruling sound military decisions made by veteran commanders even though she had never commanded even a single flotilla before! She was a fine Director once but she's a wreck, a dangerous, aggressive, borderline unstable, wreck." His plea was again met with a response from Talon that, to Aeron, was as unexpected as it was strange. 

"Then we have to help her." It was stated so simply it was as if it were an unarguable matter. Though the captain most certainly did not share that opinion.

"What?" Came his loud and utterly incredulous reply, temporarily seemingly unable to moderate himself. "What did you say?" Talon however, did not flinch and his response was quiet, measured, calm and certain.

"We cannot replace her. We lack the power, and to attempt a coup would result in yet another pointless and divisive schism inside our already broken family. Unity must be obtained. Not even a Grand Admiral has the legal power to unseat her as the de facto leader. Only a restored ruling council, combined with constitutional reform could do that. With the option of replacing her ruled out we must support her to do as good a job as is possible. It is what we would do for the Emperor if he still drew breath, or any of his successors. If she is making warfare mistakes, then someone from warfare needs to advise her. If her intelligence focus has shifted, then she needs to be made to feel secure in her position so it is not always turned inwards." Talon had hoped that this calm, and he believed well-reasoned, argument would win over Captain Aeron. Instead, he was met with a look of ever-growing disbelief and shock.

"Are you insane? She'll kill you!" Whispered the captain, slowly, with a twinge of cold fear in his voice.

"But I will be trying to help her. Why would she want to? It's my job to help the Director!" Insisted Talon, with a mixture of righteous bluster and genuine confusion. His old mentor seemed exceptionally firm in his convictions, and this was starting to cause Talon some pause and concern. He trusted Aeron’s judgement. It had not led him astray so far. But now the man was walking down a terrifying path. 

"That's not how it works!" Stated the captain, almost pleadingly, leaning forward and fixing his one eye with Talon’s. "It is how it should work, yes. But that is not the reality of the situation. She will find some reason to sacrifice you, or find some reason you are suddenly a threat, or someone else will kill you to get to her. You just don't get it!" By now the Captain was starting to punctuate his words by gently banging his one hand down on the small table between them. He had never been this animated or this emotional throughout all the time Talon had known this man. It was bordering on the unbelievable. "People have tried what you are describing before, and it didn't work! Every hour spent in her company reduces your life expectancy by ten years! She's pure poison!"

"She's what we've got! I still have difficulty believing either she personally or Imperial Intelligence as a whole, can be quite as broken as you say!" Aeron had made Talon more than a little unsure of his ground, certainly a seed of caution and doubt had been planted. But the young officer was sticking to his guns. The captain was looking more than a little desperate now. His posture was calm, but his eye looked almost afraid, worried for the seemingly self-destructive course Talon was set upon. In all their time together, when facing ships that vastly outclassed them, when hurtling toward a planet, when Aeron had been broken and rent so horribly it would have killed a lesser man, he had never shown fear. But now, now it was as plain as day. Even Talon could not deny that something that could make the captain shiver, was a force to be reckoned with. 

"She destroys everything around her. It doesn't matter how well you serve. She will have you killed after a while just to keep her real enemies guessing! It's not just the maliciousness and callousness you need to be afraid of. I don't use this word lightly but it's the madness you need to be afraid of most."

Madness was a serious allegation, and, if true, could invalidate Isard's position of authority. The clinically insane could not legally be allowed to have such power. But Talon suspected Aeron was using the word madness more loosely, or at least he hoped he was. Furthermore, the new commander could still not bring himself to think that anyone in a position such as Isard’s could be that mentally unstable. Something would have happened to prevent such a thing, surely. So instead of fighting Aeron on that point Talon flatly issued a direct challenge.

"Are you going to have her replaced? Can you?"

"No, of course not!" Protested the captain, unsure where Talon was going with this line of argument.

"Then we have to rally around her! If we sit back and let her destroy herself the chances are, she will bring all of us down around her! Imagine how much of the fleet we might lose, how many worlds, how many lives? If she is as bad as you say she is and you are not going to replace her, which would be treason, then we have to help. The cost to be paid by just sitting back is just too great!" Talon was thinking of how dangerous it was to just let a commander fail. If this fleet was lost the damage to the Empire might just be irrevocable. There were too few men, too few ships, to allow such grand sacrifices and great risks in the name of politics and personal survival.

But from the captain's response it seemed that, whilst he agreed with that fundamental principle, his assessment of the costs was wildly different.

"But if you even try to prop her up, not only will it end in your death but her miss management will last longer. Let her fail faster! Then someone competent might replace her and you might just live to see it and more of the fleet along with you!"

This talk bordered on the treasonous, had these words come from a stranger Talon might have been tempted to report the man. But he trusted in Aeron’s loyalty. The man had ample opportunity to turn before now, yet here he was. So Talon shifted his argument, to a better the devil you know strategy. Even though he still believed that Ysanne Isard could not possibly be as bad or dangerous as the Captain was suggesting, he hoped altering his premise would have some effect.

"What if someone worse replaces her? If she is as obsessed with maintaining power as you say, which I still doubt! Then the person who succeeds her is likely to be even more ruthless. She will be replaced by someone else from intelligence! Unless you are planning a full-scale coup by the warfare branch we must rally round. She's the best we've got so let's make it work!" Talon was also becoming increasingly impassioned, a mood cut short by Captain Aeron's sudden drop in tone and resumption of his previous calmer manner. Talon was holding the captains gaze as firmly as the captain held his. Each man bringing everything they could to bear in an effort to persuade the other. The commander could see in Aeron's eye an unusually large degree of both concern and conviction. For a moment this seemed to silence Talon before the captain asked.

"Mr Rake, do you trust me?" The answer to this was beyond question and came without hesitation.

"Absolutely sir." Stated Talon, quietly.

"Do you trust my judgement?" Again, this was a question to which Aeron already knew the answer.

"Yes sir." Replied Talon, as softly as before.

"Then trust me on this. If I am wrong, you need never trust me again or think of me in high regard. I'll stake all my credibility on this issue, but I implore you. Believe me on this." Talon fell into an odd, contemplative silence, looking down, obviously shrouded in doubt and uncertainty. Seeing this hesitation, the man continued, trying to at last persuade Talon of the right course of action. "Mr Rake. I urge you to stay away from her and all her agents. Follow their orders but do not do anything to draw their attention. If they don't notice you, you might just not have to die needlessly. And if you do get sucked in, somehow, despite all your best efforts. Be careful, trust none of them and get out of their web as fast as you can."

There was a long and loaded pause as Talon sat there, processing everything that had been said. He felt odd in a way he could not quite define, but the sensation was deeply unpleasant. Eventually he came out of his reflections and said quietly, almost timidly.

"I will be careful sir." His voice heavy, and sullen with unwelcome thoughts.

"See that you are!" Demanded the captain. But this was not a disciplinary, Talon had done nothing wrong and Aeron only cared so much because of the value he saw in this young officer. So after allowing this order to sink in, he relented and concluded comfortingly. "The Empire has too few officers like you Mr Rake. I don't want the Empire to lose you over some petty power squabble."

Talon's mood was visibly deflated, what the captain had just said had clearly shaken him and now, rather than sitting upright in his chair, he seemed to have slackened slightly, looking a little crestfallen and worn. He spent longer than he should have staring at the glass of Corellian brandy before taking a long draught, giving a satisfied yet tired sigh when it parted his lips, a brief moment of comfort and consolation. It was a bittersweet taste, and not just by design. He knew, that as their grip on the core worlds loosened, that luxuries such as this would become rarer and rarer. As wonderful as this tasted it was a sad reminder of the direction in which the Empire was heading. As that realisation slowly sunk in, he was forced to take yet another drink, sipping it gently this time, savouring it slowly.

Seeing the immediate slump in moral in the commander, Captain Aeron could not help but take pity on him. Talon was a man who believed in the integrity of the Empire and her institutions. These allegations had hit home, and though they were by no means anything close enough to justify desertion, Talon could not help but feel a little disillusioned, a little betrayed. In truth, Talon still did not entirely believe what the captain was saying. From cradle to today, he had tried to live every day as the model Imperial citizen, and model aristocratic officer. Not just in action, but in belief and conviction. It would take more than the sincere appeal of a trusted teacher to unseat all that. But he held the captain in such high regard that Talon had to give his words some credit. Even as they sapped at his spirit. Trying to bolster the moral of his sullen protégée Aeron settled deeper into his chair, recharged his glass and said.

"Take heart Mr Rake. I hear that they will be giving you a ship of your own to command. Any idea what they will be giving you?" The captain was smiling, trying to push aside the recent unpleasantness and focus on a topic that would bolster any ambitious officer. 

"No idea as of yet." Responded Talon, glad of the topic change. "It won't be anything too large of course. Only Captains get Imperial classes. Much the same for Interdictors. My money is on a Gladiator class. Something small, low cost, low crew numbers."

"Any thoughts as to your senior crew?" Asked the Captain, sipping casually at his drink.

"I'd like to pinch a few of the Resolve's men." Suggested Talon, with a mildly hopeful tone, knowing he needed permission. The captain meanwhile just perked a knowing eyebrow and said.

"I know you would.” He chuckled, with a knowing grin. “But which ones?" However, the answer he received surprised him.

"Jan and his troopers, that includes the scouts." The captain's expression went from knowing to pleasantly surprised, cracking a little half smile he let out another gently amused chortle before saying approvingly.

"Now that surprises me. Managed to get him on side did you?" Talon shook his head slightly, with his own gently amused smile, he hoped to get Jan on side but it would be a tad much to say he had succeeded.

"Work in progress. But he's good. Damn good. I'm willing to keep working on it. Plus, I don't think he hates me quite as much as he did at first." Talon chuckled a little bit at the thought and he wondered what Jan might be like if he ever actually warmed up to Talon. Part of him suspected that might never happen. But time would tell, and it was worth the effort.

"Yes, I did rather drop you in that one." Apologized the captain. But to Talon it was an unnecessary and even ridiculous apology. The captain had almost died after crash landing a ship, to say that there were extenuating circumstances would be an understatement.

"Not your fault, not your fault. Plus, getting Jan means getting Lani and his scouts." Leaning back slightly in his uncomfortable chair Talon took another slow sip on the precious brandy before saying approvingly, with a smile on his face. "Now there is an officer I can work with. Brave to. He needs to be promoted." The Captain, meanwhile, merely raised a curious looking eyebrow.

"You never read the personnel file, did you?" Talon was a little surprised by this. Looking over at the Captain with a curious air Talon tried to figure out what Aeron could possibly have meant by that.

"I was rather busy, I barely had time to glance over a summary of Jan's." Then, adding after a trepidatious pause. "Why?"

"Oh nothing major..." Said the Captain, dismissively. But a ghost of a smile on his face suggested that something was most definitely up and that he found it all rather amusing.

"Now now captain, if I am to have someone on my crew..." But the captain cut him off.

"Nothing that would interfere with Lani's ability to serve I assure you." He said by way of reassurance. A slight shift in his shoulder indicated that the captain had reflexively tried to do something with his now absent arm, forgetting he was a limb short. A slight grimace of frustration flashed across his face, something he solved with a long draw on his brandy. Talon, too polite, or uneasy, to bring up the issue simply ignored it and continued to focus on Lani.

"Humm..." He groaned, clearly dissatisfied with the answer and sceptical about the implications but also aware that this was all he was going to get for now. The captain did not let him dwell on it for too long though, moving the conversation along.

"You can have Jan and his boys by the way." Said Aeron, returning to the point. "I'll be sorry to lose them but the ship I'm going over to will be fully crewed already. I'll take a few people with me, but the majority of the Resolve's crew are yours, including Jan."

"Why don't you make him one of the few you keep?" Talon was grateful for the gift, but Jan was a fine officer. Had their positions been reversed Talon might not have been as generous as his mentor. But Aeron gave a somewhat worrying and flat reply.

"If my hunch is right, you're going to need him."

There was a surprisingly long period of tense silence, filled only with the gentle sounds of both men sipping on their brandy to stall for time. Talon would have asked more about the hunch, but he already knew the answer. It was Ysanne and her intelligence branch. The captain feared that Talon would be sent into increasingly dangerous scenarios, and that he would need a hardy veteran to give him any real prospect of coming out alive. Taking another draw on his drink before refilling the glass Talon thought back on the captain's warning.

But Captain Aeron was unwilling to leave the conversation on such a sour note. Looking over at the commander, who was starting to stare dangerously into his drink, the captain sought to wrest the man's attention by asking.

"How is your family?" It was a simple question, and perhaps not quite as effective at distracting Talon as the captain would have liked.

"They are all very well." Replied Talon. Still looking at his drink as if he expected to find answers there. From his tone you could tell his mind was a thousand miles away, pondering something that was still weighing on him heavily.

"Have they put your father behind a desk yet?" Continued the Captain, determined to shift Talon's focus. But at least now it seemed as though it was starting to work. Looking up at Aeron, Talon retorted with a slight smile.

"He's not that old! He's still commanding the Retribution. Out there, fighting the good fight." Talon gestured into the vast blackness of space, the Retribution had been on tour for quite some time, attempting to prevent Republic influence from spreading onto yet more Imperial worlds.

"I'm surprised he hasn't volunteered for desk duty you know."

"Why?" Asked Talon, clearly genuinely confused at the notion that his father would ever opt to fill and administrative role.

"When you get put behind a desk there are always more of those wretched parties and balls, more rubbing elbows with the Admiralty, more liaising with the civilian administration. He always took to that more easily than most of us." The Captain’s face seemed to sour at the thought, clearly he held a certain distaste for those kind of soirees which were sadly a necessity once you obtained a certain position.

"Well, he is of the blood and from the old school. A long tradition of service runs in our family." The phrase, of the blood, was a telling one. It was as though Talon thought there was a demi aristocracy that was the officer class. Though Talon was one of the greatest supporters of pure merit-based promotions he also seemed to believe that those from certain backgrounds took to it more naturally and were better equipped to deal with the social side of things. Not only that, but that they were more likely to meet the high bar of merit that Talon set for everyone. To some this might have seemed like a slightly unpleasant notion. The sad thing was, that it was true. "The social mores get ingrained in you after a while." Then he said with a chuckle. "But you will have to drag him kicking and screaming off of the bridge of a ship."

"He always did enjoy a command." Conceded the captain with a nod, adopting that tone only those engaged in fond reminiscing could. 

"You served under him for a while, didn't you?" Asked Talon, already knowing the answer. But he was looking across at the captain, curious as to what the man might say about his father, keen to learn what others might think.

"Briefly, yes. I was his chief flight officer for a few months before they moved me over to a heavy carrier." It was hard to think Aeron being young enough to be a comparatively junior figure under Talon's father. But that had been back in the heyday, before Endor.

"What did you think of him?" Aware that he was speaking about Talon's father, a man he presumably cared deeply about, the captain chose measured words.

"He was a fine officer. Slow to adapt though. He served in the old days, when the Empire, and the Republic before that, possessed overwhelming firepower. He never quite moved off of that doctrine. But with the men of the New Republic putting more and more capitol ships into the sky that doctrine doesn't hold anymore. I hope he can move with the times." The captain seemed to be genuinely concerned about it all, slightly worried for the fate of Talon's father who was by all accounts an upstanding officer. Surprisingly, Talon did not seem to object to this assessment.

"I can see why you would say that." He stated evenly, not even trying to refute the Captain's conclusions. "I have never served with him, but he is most defiantly of the old guard. He is, an old fashioned man. It is understandable that he might follow old fashioned battle doctrine. We need men like him, men who act in the old way in their personal affairs and professional conduct. But they have to learn to modernise in how they fight." Talon, if anything, seemed a little frustrated at his father, or more accurately men like him. He respected them immensely of course, but war had changed and far too many officers were being lost for a failure to move with the times.

"I would wager he was ecstatic when he heard of your dual promotions." Said the Captain, with a warm smile on his face. It was a look that Talon shared even as he confirmed. 

"Father doesn't really do ecstatic. But he did manage to send me a recorded message from his posting that was warmly approving. The word proud was mentioned." Talon's smile only broadened at that thought, he had always wanted to make his father proud, amongst other things, and to receive that pride please him no end. "Mother, now she does do ecstatic. She was practically bouncing off of the walls. She wanted me to demand some shore leave and go home so she could throw a celebratory soiree." He chuckled at the notion, had the war been going well that might have been possible. But with today's dark times such draws on time were unaffordable. "It would have been nice, but duty calls."

"So you enjoy those kinds of parties too then?" It was more of a statement than a question from the captain, a man who was rapidly coming to the conclusion that Talon was something of a chip off of the old block, if a tad more naïve.

"I love any opportunity to wear my dress uniform. There's something about it that just makes me swell up a little inside." The captain perked an eyebrow at this, smiling privately at the plethora of jokes about over inflation and puffed up egos that ran through his mind. Supressing a chuckle he instead just said.

"Never could stand them myself. Never quite felt like my world."

"Hum." Muttered Talon, understanding what the captain was getting at. "I should introduce you to my sister. I merely enjoy it, but she lives for the social high life. She takes after our mother in that regard and she has her boundless enthusiasm as well. She rejoices in making unsuitable men presentable for society." Talon slanted the word unsuitable to make it obvious that he was making light of the affair. "She will either make you a convert or drive you to despair. One of the two. No middle ground with that one." His broad smile had shifted now, into one with a slightly wistful and nostalgic twist, the image of his little sister playing across his mind. He remembered how ecstatic she had been in the run up to her presentation ball, and how graceful and charming she had been at the event.

"It seems each parent got one child to be their little creature." Chuckled the captain. "No happy middle ground?"

"Well, there is my younger brother." Said Talon with a degree of hesitation, not because he was ashamed of his brother but because the man did not quite seem to fit the description of a happy middle ground. "But he is not really like any of us. He's not a great socialite, or a military man. But he's a savant with an engine."

"A mechanic is he?" Enquired Captain Aeron, a slight uplift in his tone, as if now he was being presented with a man he could at last relate to.

"In his spare time, as something of a hobby. But his actual job is R&D on new engine designs. He works for private industry, but they often get big Imperial contracts. Chances are that if your ship has any new model TIE's on it or TIEs with retrofitted engines, he designed the engine, or at least part of it." Talon seemed proud of his little brother, straightening a little as he told the story, a dash of colour returning to pale and sunken cheeks. 

"Does he work on the bigger capitol ship engines?" Asked the captain with real curiosity and a note of hope. If the answer had been yes, then the captain could have happily talked to Talon's brother for hours about the latest theories in super mass sub light propulsion. But alas he was to be disappointed.

"No, in theory he could but his obsession with peak performance and fine tuning led him to working on smaller craft." After a few moments Talon added, a curious frown on his face. "What about you? Do you have a family, a wife and child back home?" He had never heard the captain talk about his nearest and dearest, and is it turned out there was a reason for that.

"Me, no I'm married to the service. Besides, I wouldn't feel right about it." With a regretful sigh the captain leant back and shook his head at the idea of anyone being unfortunate enough to marry a military man. "I always felt sorry for the wives of navy servicemen. Their husbands are away for months on end, sometimes years, then they come back for far too little time and off again. That's no way to raise a family. I couldn't do that to a wife or child of mine."

"Worked in our case." Countered Talon, with a tiny snap in his voice and a surprisingly defensive tone. The captain swiftly realised that he had inadvertently trodden on some toes and implied that Talon's father had perhaps been cruel or selfish by taking postings away from his wife and children.

"Works in many cases, or so I hear. But, not for me." Corrected the captain, with a casualness that masked the hasty walking back of his previous statement. Thankfully it seemed to work as Talon’s expression softened once again, asking.

"Ever consider marrying within the service?" It seemed like the obvious solution that at least would mitigate several of the issues. But Captain Aeron clearly remained unconvinced, shaking his head with half a smile on his face.

"Yes, but that's not much better. We almost certainly would not be on the same ship, there are rules against that sort of thing." Pointed out the Captain, still uncomfortable with the amount of time away that would be involved, before conceding. "But at least they would know the lifestyle, know what they were in for."

"What about wider family? Where are they?" Asked Talon, shifting the focus slightly. He wondered if there was anyone else within the service that might be related to Captain Aeron. If so, Talon might just have to try and get in touch with them if they were even half the man his mentor was.

"Well, I have a brother out there somewhere, haven't heard from him for years. But... well that's not a surprise." For such a heavy comment the captain was stunningly dismissive and accepting of the idea that he had not heard from his sibling and, presumably, nearest relative. Talon, meanwhile, was for more concerned for the captain and asked with peaked curiosity.

"Why is that not a surprise?" But he soon realised that the captain was obviously unwilling to discuss the issue when Aeron shut the conversation down almost instantly with the idle words.

"Another day Mr Rake. Another day.” It was a far from subtle hint to drop the topic, but Talon did not mind backing off. The captain had more than earned the right to keep a few personal issues close to his chest, in Talon’s estimation. “There are one or two cousins bashing about, but nothing more than that." Though one thought kept tugging at his mind, one Talon could not ignore. And so, with a slightly sorrowful expression settling on his face he asked.

"You are going to be the end of the line?" The idea of being the last of the family was a terrifying notion to Talon, he could not bear it if he were the last of the Rakes and he thanked the fates that his little brother could continue the name should Talon die childless.

"I might be, but I never wanted for a family, I had a crew. That's more than enough for me." The captain retorted, with a broad and genuine smile. "I even get to see my little birds fly the nest." He added, gesturing to Talon with the glass in his hand. "To you Commander Talon Rake, and a long and distinguished career." Raising an enthusiastic glass and grinning so wide it almost hurt, Talon was more than happy to drink to that.


End file.
